On August 21, 2015, the Minneapolis City Council and Mayor Betsy Hodges took significant action in the fight to protect the sharply declining local bee population. The City Council passed a resolution, that the mayor signed, which commits Minneapolis to increasing bee-friendly plants in the city and decreasing pesticide use. The resolution is meant to encourage neighbors to plant pollinator forage and to avoid using pesticides that are contributing to an alarming loss of pollinator populations.
The resolution declares Minneapolis a pollinator-friendly community and encourages residents and businesses to adopt pollinator-friendly practices such as planting habitat for bees and avoiding pesticides that are known to kill them. To read the full resolution, please visit http://www.minneapolismn.gov/news/WCMS1P-147750. For additional information to join in protecting pollinators, see: https://www.beelab.umn.edu and https://www.beyondpesticides.org